Just As I Am
by DKG
Summary: WIP Buffy'n'Tara. What would have happened if, instead of Willow going to the Wicca meeting instead of watching Oz, she’d asked Buffy to attend it for her? NEW Chapter 8
1. Full Moon

Just As I Am 

DISCLAIMER: Not mine.

SETTINGS: Season Four, 'Wild At Heart' and 'Hush' specifically.

SUMMARY: What would have happened if, instead of Willow going to the Wicca meeting instead of watching Oz, she'd asked Buffy to attend it for her? Not only does that mean that Oz never gets out of his cage, but Tara and Buffy meet first.

PAIRING: Buffy/Tara. Not sure why I'm so fascinated by this couple, I just am.

ONWARDS:

CHAPTER ONE: FULL MOON 

Willow Rosenberg awoke, completely and utterly content. She wasn't sure what it was about waking up in Oz's arms that made her feel so completely relaxed and at ease, but it was definitely that way she wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of her life. It was a feeling to be savoured, and a definite balm to her soul.

She wrinkled her nose, realising that she wouldn't be able to awaken in Oz's arms the next morning. It was the night before the full moon, which meant only one nighttime activity for Oz. He would be locked in a cage, and slightly sedated to keep him from trying to break out and run free, howling at the moon in his werewolf form.

Willow sighed, mentally going over her plans for that night. She hadn't yet missed Oz-sitting, as she'd affectionately dubbed watching him, but there was a Wicca Group on Campus who would be meeting for the next three nights for their Orientation week. She didn't want to miss watching Oz, but she didn't want to miss the meetings either.

She did a mental scale of balance before deciding that she'd prefer to spend the night with Oz. She hated not being able to watch her werewolf boyfriend, and with any luck, she could pull in at least one of the favours that Buffy owed her. And, even though Buffy Summers may not know any magic whatsoever, she was still interested in the topic, if only for Willow's sake, something that the redheaded witch was extremely thankful for.

Oz stirred and Willow closed her eyes, pretending she was asleep. It was a ritual with them, though she didn't know where it had originated from. Oz pressed a gentle kiss to Willow's lips and smiled at the 'sleeping' girl. He knew she was awake, and he knew that she knew that he knew. He smiled inwardly, and watched as Willow twitched and murmured something nonsensical about sandblasters and Geminis.

Oz tightened his grip on his girlfriend and breathed in the unique scent of strawberries and cream that clung to Willow. He closed his eyes, almost completely content, wishing, not for the first time, that he hadn't been cursed with lycanthropy, so that he wouldn't have to ever leave the comfort of holding Willow in his arms.

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"Hey Buff, can I ask a favour?" Willow asked as she took a seat beside her best friend.

Buffy looked up from the textbook she'd been skimming through and nodded. "Of course. God knows I probably owe you about a zillion of 'em, so…go for it."

Willow grinned happily, and went into a full ramble, hoping that Buffy would say yes. "Okay, see, I have this slight dilemma. No, nothing to worry about, promise. It's just…tonight's a full moon and…well, they're having the first Wicca Meeting for the next three nights, and well, I was hoping-"

"You want me to Oz-sit?" Buffy finished for her.

Willow shook her head. "I was actually kinda hoping maybe you'd go to the Wicca Meeting for me? Just to check it out? Hey, you could even make sure that none of them are evil or anything? Vamps, demons, that sorta thing."

Buffy paused for a moment, considering the suggestion. Patrolling had been fairly subdued lately, so there was no reason she couldn't take a few hours out of her patrol time to go to the meeting for Willow, and she knew that the redhead liked to be able to watch over Oz for herself.

"Count me in," Buffy finally replied. "I mean, I probably won't know if they're any good wicca-wise, but…I can definitely do re-con for you."

Willow grinned and bounced happily in her seat. Two birds with one stone.

"You'll have to give me the full report. Ohh, you should take notes or something," Willow suggested.

Buffy looked incredibly amused at her best friend's youthful exuberance. There was something to be said about the wiccan's delighted smile, and Buffy just shook her head in mock-concern.

"I worry about you sometimes," Buffy teased.

Willow would have retorted, but Professor Maggie 'the-evil-bitch-monster-of-death' Walsh walked into the lecture hall. Willow just settled on glaring at her best friend, who responded with a carefree grin. Willow couldn't help but grin back, thankful that her best friend was still able to smile even after the whole Angel and Parker trauma.

They'd drifted slightly after beginning to attend college, but after the Parker debacle, they'd managed to find their close friendship again. Willow had tried to set Buffy up with Walsh's Psychology Teaching Assistant, Riley Finn, but Buffy hadn't been interested. She and Riley were from two very different worlds, and Buffy couldn't ever imagine things between she and Riley working out. She knew that the TA had a crush on her, but Buffy was doing her best to discourage him, gently letting him down whenever he asked her on casual coffee dates.

The Slayer had concentrated on her studies, and had begun training seriously again, something that Giles was grateful for. He'd been drifting into a sea of uselessness, and had been somewhat adrift without a Slayer to train. When Buffy had asked him to help her train again, he'd been eager to help out.

For an hour and a half, Willow sat, writing notes furiously as Walsh went through different methods of communication, and how one can understand another person, just from their body language. Beside the redhead, Buffy sat, also taking notes, though nowhere near as detailed as Willow's. She'd found that she truly enjoyed studying Psychology, which had been a shock in itself. She'd never been one for school, but she was truly interested in what Walsh had to say. It was interesting and after so many hours of Giles' lectures, Buffy actually understood most of what Walsh actually said. It was surprising, but she felt that she was actually doing a fairly good job in the subject.

Walsh dismissed the class, and requested that they come down to the front to retrieve their assignments that they'd handed in. Willow went ahead of Buffy, and glanced over the comments and suggestions written in the border of her B+ paper. She squashed down a feeling of disappointment. She'd been a straight A student back at Sunnydale High, though she knew that the work in college was far harder.

She turned back to her best friend, who was looking down at her paper in shock. Willow's heart went out to her best friend. Willow had been slightly surprised by how hard Buffy had worked on the paper, and if she looked that shocked with her mark, it couldn't have been a good sign.

"Are you okay? How'd you do?" Willow asked in concern.

Buffy's face suddenly lit up with a brilliant smile and she held her paper up for Willow to see the red A at the top of the paper.

"This is good," Willow said in amazement. "I mean, this is excellent. You did better than me. This is so unfair!"

Willow suddenly realised something and grinned widely. "You made me jealous of you academically. Buffy!" she exclaimed, pulling the blonde girl in for a hug.

"I know. Can you believe it?" Buffy asked.

"Wow. I guess Professor Walsh isn't so ogre-y after all."

"And she wants me to lead a discussion group next class," Buffy said, completely shocked. She'd worked for days on the assignment, and she was more than shocked that Walsh had actually liked it. Her smile suddenly fell slightly. "That means more work, right? Shouldn't she have a better reward system? You know, like a cookie or a toy surprise like at the dentist?"

"She wants you to lead a discussion group?" Willow asked. "Okay. Jealous again. Jealous, jealous – okay, I'm back. Hey, I'm meeting Oz at the cafe. You wanna come? I'll buy you that celebratory cookie."

"Nah, I'm training bound," Buffy replied. "So, that wicca thing…when, where?"

"They're embracing the cliché," Willow said with a grin. "Sundown in the main area at Petersham Hall."

Buffy nodded, filing the information away so she wouldn't forget. Willow would kill her if she managed to forget the meeting.

"I'll fill you in tomorrow then," Buffy said. "Say hey to Oz for me."

Willow nodded and grinned happily, and the two wandered off in separate directions.

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So…the start of another B/T story. And would you believe, this fic is actually finished. Eight chapters and just over 10,200 words. Huzzah for finished fics. So, sit back, relax (and review) and enjoy the ride.

DKG.


	2. Wicca Group

CHAPTER TWO: WICCA GROUP 

Buffy raced up the pathway towards Petersham Hall. She was running a teensy bit late. Well, five minutes…ten at the most. She'd had some unscheduled slayage in the form of a demon who hadn't minded being out before sunset, and she'd had to kill it _and_ dispose of the body as well. She hit the stairs at full speed, taking the steps three at a time, once again thankful for her Slayer's co-ordination and speed.

She stopped short and opened the door calmly. For several moments she stood and observed the group of eleven girls, ten of whom were on seats and couches, and the other one was sitting cross-legged on the floor, dressed in a black top with a dark brown jacket over the top with casual jeans.

Everyone seemed to be in the middle of their own private conversations, except for the blonde girl with the zigzagged part in her shoulder length hair. Her head was down, and she was fiddling with the hem of her jeans self-consciously. Buffy didn't know what it was, but she felt drawn to the quiet blonde girl. There was something about her that reminded Buffy of Willow, and that friendship had ended up being one of the best things that Buffy had in her life.

She approached the circle and lowered herself to the floor, sitting Indian style next to the blonde.

"Mind if I sit?" Buffy asked softly, making sure she didn't bring too much attention to them, knowing instinctively that the blonde girl wouldn't appreciate it.

Tara Maclay was absolutely stunned. She looked up and felt her mouth go dry with complete nervousness. The blonde girl who'd sat next to her was absolutely stunning! She had gentle hazel green eyes that danced with mischief and self-confidence. Tara managed to get herself to function enough to nod, indicating that she didn't mind if the girl sat beside her.

"Thanks," Buffy said, grinning.

"You're w-welcome," the wiccan replied.

One of the girls in the couch suddenly clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"All right everyone, let's begin shall we?" the girl said in a slightly authoritative voice. "Everyone hold hands."

There was a slightly shuffling as they all shifted to comply. Buffy reached up to the girl on the couch beside her, and reached across with her right hand to take Tara's left hand in hers. Tara was telling herself to just keep breathing and not pass out.

"We come together, daughters of Gaia, sisters to the moon. We walk with the darkness the wolf at our side through the waterfall of power to the blackest heart of eternity," the brunette wiccan said, her voice soft and lulling.

Buffy was trying to work out whether or not this girl was serious or not. It sounded so…cheesy. Like something out of a very bad witchcraft movie. She kept her grin to herself, thankful that she'd had a lot of practice in schooling her emotions over the years.

The girls all dropped hands and the introductions were made. For ninety embarrassing seconds, each of the girls in the circle was made to introduce themselves with interesting facts and figures.

Buffy gave them a highly edited version of who she was, and listened sympathetically as Tara stuttered out her own introduction. The girl was painfully shy. Worse than Willow had ever been, and Buffy wanted desperately to draw the girl out of the shell that she'd retreated into. She could tell that the gentle blonde girl was someone who would be a great friend.

For an hour straight, Buffy tried not to laugh at the naivety of the people in the circle. Absolutely nothing that these people were saying was anything like what she'd imagined. She'd been worried that she wouldn't be able to understand the talk about spells, but she couldn't help but wonder if she herself knew more about magic than the girls in the circle. Everything they said was mainly about the empowerment of women, and the blessing from Gaia. It was all well and good, but Buffy knew that Willow was looking to expand her magical knowledge.

But throughout the meeting, Buffy's eyes kept wandering over to Tara Maclay. The woman sat with her head down bent, surreptitiously sneaking glances at the Slayer beside her. Whenever Buffy would offer a small smile, Tara would look away, her cheeks tinging bright red.

Buffy couldn't help but be curious though. There was something about the woman, some hidden power that Buffy could feel. It was nice, calming. Like taking a hot bath after a long day and feeling every bone settle back into place.

The other girls in the circle couldn't have raised the power that the blonde woman held, and Buffy knew that despite the phoney wannabe Wiccan's, Tara was the real deal.

The meeting disbanded, and while the majority of people broke into their private conversations again, Tara stood up, flashing Buffy a shy smile and made her way to the front door. Buffy stood up quickly to follow her. She was stopped by the brunette wannabe-Wiccan who had led the meeting.

"Buffy, right?" the girl, Tammy asked.

Buffy nodded, her eyes still fixed on the door as it closed behind Tara.

"Did you enjoy the meeting?" Tammy asked.

"Yeah, it was great," Buffy replied absently. "But…look, I'm really running late, so…I'm gonna take off."

Tammy nodded and Buffy quickly shot out the door. She couldn't see Tara anywhere on the darkened path, and considering the path forked in three different directions, she wasn't too hopeful of finding the blonde girl. She sighed and went to walk back to her own dorm when she felt her senses prickling the back of her neck. She raced towards where she could feel demons converging.

Her heart raced as she stopped dead at the sight of Tara in the middle of three large male vampires. She looked absolutely terrified, but not overly shocked at the ridges and fangs.

Buffy dropped her bag and removed her stake from the back of her jeans as she quickly dusted one of the vampires that had his back to her. She wedged herself into the circle, purposefully standing between Tara and the vampires.

"Look, we get dessert too," one of the remaining two vampires said.

Buffy rolled her eyes, and shook her head. The two vampires finally realised that their third companion was nowhere to be seen, and their growls became even more menacing.

Tara was looking absolutely stunned. She'd known about vampires, but she couldn't believe that the shorter blonde woman was standing between her and the vampires that had ganged up on her. It wasn't something that she would have expected from anyone, let alone the blonde girl that had sat beside her during the Wicca Group meeting.

The two vampires suddenly attacked, and Buffy tried to move the fight away from Tara, though the vampires seemed keen to keep her within reach.

Buffy was trying to concentrate on the fight, rather than the potential fallout that would happen when the fight would end. She knew that people had trouble believing in the supernatural, and Buffy was not looking forward to explaining about what the creatures she was facing actually were.

She dispatched the both of them without too many problems, getting only a small gash in her arm from a dagger that the final vampire had pulled from his pocket when he'd become desperate to win. She cursed softly and gently touched the wound, more annoyed at the cut in her shirt, then the cut in her arm.

Tara stepped forward, worried at the sight of the blood staining the shirt.

"You're h-hurt," she said softly.

"Just a scratch," Buffy replied honestly. "I'll be fine. Honest."

Tara inhaled deeply, trying to get her breathing to regulate.

"Do you live on campus?" Buffy asked.

Tara nodded. "At the Porter dorm," she replied.

"C'mon, I'll walk you back," Buffy said, gently nudging Tara back onto the footpath.

They walked in silence for several minutes, Buffy waiting for the questions to come. Tara was just trying to process everything that she'd just seen, and trying to work out why the girl beside her had even noticed her in the first place.

"H-how did you know how to k-kill them?"

Buffy looked across at her, slightly surprised by the wording of the question. She'd known that the girl would want to ask her something of course, but she hadn't really expected it to be _that_ question.

"So…you know what they were?" Buffy asked.

Tara nodded, slightly self-conscious. "I've never s-seen one before, but…they w-were vampires, right?"

"Yeah, they were vampires," Buffy replied. "And I know how to kill them cos I live in Sunnydale. They're basically the unofficial mascots of this place."

Tara didn't say anything and Buffy mistook her silence for…well, she wasn't sure what Tara was thinking, but she knew that it couldn't have been anything good.

"I'm sorry you were dragged into it," Buffy said softly.

"No," Tara said vehemently. She blushed bright red as Buffy's eyebrows raised in question. The blonde Wiccan lowered her voice and ducked her head, a strand of her hair coming loose from behind her hair, slightly hiding her flushed face. "No…it's, it isn't your fault. At all. You…you saved my life."

Buffy had never really known what to say to people who told her that. She'd heard it again and again, and every time someone said it to her, she never really knew what to say in reply. She suddenly stopped walking as they reached the stairs to Porter dorm.

"So…this is m-me," Tara said softly. "My dorm I mean." She stopped awkwardly. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome," Buffy replied softly.

"Do…I mean, you're injured, I thought…you should come inside…I could help patch you up," Tara said.

Buffy thought about refusing, she'd had other people she'd saved offer her the same thing, and she usually wouldn't go inside with them, unless she was really injured. And the gash on her arm didn't even hurt, but she didn't want to say no to the gentle blonde wiccan beside her.

"Thanks," Buffy replied softly as they walked up the stairs and inside the building.


	3. First Aid

CHAPTER THREE: FIRST AID 

Buffy sat on the bed as Tara knelt beside a chest of drawers, digging through to find her first aid kit. Buffy looked around the room unobtrusively, wondering how Tara had managed to get her room decorated so quickly. The walls were painted black, and there was a string of white Christmas lights that hung from the walls. Patterned fabric hung as drapes, and the curtains at the windows were a deep red.

The bookcase looked like the one in Buffy and Willow's shared dorm room, books of spells and witchcraft lining the shelves, and the top of the bureau was covered with talismans and candles.

"You really are a Wiccan then," Buffy said absently.

Tara moved to sit on the bed beside Buffy, the first aid kit between them, a confused look on Tara's face. She followed Buffy's gaze to her magic supplies and nodded.

"Ever since I, um…was little," she replied nervously. She then realised the way Buffy had worded her semi-question. "You're not?"

Buffy laughed slightly and shook her head. "Tonight was strictly a re-con mission," she explained.

Tara grinned, and Buffy looked at her questioningly. "What?" the Slayer asked.

"Re-con m-mission?" Tara asked.

Buffy shrugged. She'd been hanging around with Giles too much. "My best friend, she's into witch craft, but…she had other commitments tonight. I owe her about a gazillion favours, so…"

Tara carefully rolled up the sleeve of Buffy's shirt and dabbed at the gash to clean the blood away. She watched Buffy carefully, trying to be as gentle as possible, and was thankful that Buffy didn't wince at the soft touch.

"But…I mean, with the v-vampires and everything…you're okay with m-magic right?" Tara asked, slightly unsure of herself. She'd been hoping to meet serious witches, and she'd gathered from the meeting that none of the people who had been at the Wicca Group had any clue about real magic.

But just because Buffy didn't practice magic, it didn't make Tara any less interested. This girl was clearly knowledgeable about the supernatural, and Tara definitely wanted to know more.

"Completely," Buffy assured the girl. "Magic's saved my ass a time or two, so…I'm not about to knock it."

Tara dabbed a slight amount of antiseptic on Buffy's wound and the Slayer hissed slightly, eliciting a quick apology from the Wiccan. Buffy shrugged it off and Tara looked at the nearly healed cut.

"You heal f-fast," Tara noted.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah."

Tara hesitated a moment. She'd read up about so many different supernatural things when she'd been growing up, even though her father had been so against it. It hadn't stopped her from researching the curious ways of magic and demons.

"You aren't h-h-human," Tara whispered softly.

It wasn't the first time that anyone had made that assumption about Buffy, though her reaction definitely wasn't the same. Usually she would be incredibly defensive, and fly off the handle, but she knew that the stuttering Wiccan hadn't meant anything by it.

"I am," Buffy replied. "Just…a little different."

"Different?" Tara asked curiously.

Buffy hesitated a moment longer. She knew that the Slayer thing was meant to be a secret identity. Then again, most of her graduating class knew about demons and about Buffy's job to slay them. They may not have understood exactly what it meant, but they understood that Buffy was special.

"Well, you know about vampires and demons, so…have you ever heard of a Slayer?" Buffy asked.

Tara's eyes went wide. In the quiet of the room, Buffy could hear the frantic pounding of Tara's heart. The quieter girl shot off the bed and stared at Buffy in wide-eyed fear. Buffy stood slowly, her hands where Tara could see them. The Slayer had no clue what had made Tara react the way she had, and she was hoping that she hadn't just lost a potential ally.

"You're the Sl-Slayer?" Tara asked, her voice practically squeaking.

Buffy nodded, still trying to understand why Tara had reacted so violently.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked.

Tara nodded, but didn't let her eyes move away from Buffy. It was as though she was trying to make sure that the Slayer wouldn't move without Tara knowing about it first.

"Tara…I'm gonna sit back down," Buffy said, her voice soft and slow, trying to be as completely non-threatening as possible. "I'm kinda hoping that maybe you'll do the same."

Tara eyed her warily, unable to believe her reaction. She hadn't even considered the thought that Buffy was the Slayer. And now that she'd reacted in such an obvious way, she would have to explain herself.

Buffy sighed seeing the complete apprehensiveness that was written all over Tara, from the way her hands were shaking, to the way she put as much room as possible between them on the bed.

Buffy stood up slowly and saw Tara move slightly away from her. She smiled sadly at the blonde girl, unable to work out why she was so upset at Tara's reaction.

"I'm making you uncomfortable, so…I should go," Buffy said softly. "Goodnight Tara."

Tara didn't say a single word as she watched Buffy walk towards the door, open it and close it behind her. Tara sighed, not sure whether it was in relief or disappointment. She'd reacted so terribly to one of the first people on campus who hadn't treated her as some sort of nutjob when they found out about the magic. Or about her shyness. Or about the way she stuttered when she was nervous.

And despite the fear of the power that the Slayer held, Tara wished that she could have reacted better. For possibly the first time in her life, she wished that she had learned to lie properly.

She sighed again and lay down on her bed, running over the entire evening in her mind once more. The first potential friend she'd made and it had to be someone that she could never realistically be friends with. And, to add insult to injury, not only had Tara been interested in Buffy as a potential friend, but as a potential lover as well.

She closed her eyes and tried to get the memory of the beautiful blonde girl to leave her alone. Eventually she fell into a fitful sleep, plagued with the Slayer killing a demon with a suspiciously familiar stutter, and shoulder length blonde hair.


	4. Be Heard

(Hmmm…need I mention that this is AU? Oz never got out of his cage, so he never slept with Veruca, who, incidentally was captured and killed by the Initiative, just cos she's a horrible bitchy blah who I didn't wanna write in. So, all is well with Willow and Oz, they are tremendously happy together.

I'll also add that we're skipping ahead in time, even though in my fic it's been about eight days, and on the series it was about four eps between 'Wild At Heart' and 'Hush'. We're skipping to the end of 'Hush'.)

CHAPTER FOUR: BE HEARD 

Willow and Oz were awoken by a sudden pounding at one of the dorm room doors. It sounded panicked and frantic, but after the last two days, it seemed fairly foolish to actually open the door at night. The wiccan and the werewolf exchanged a worried glance and walked to the door.

Oz opened the door and he and Willow stepped slightly outside, looking to the right. They were suddenly barrelled over by someone running from the left. Willow fell to the ground, her ankle twisting at a terrible angle. She'd have screamed long and loud if it weren't for the slight problem of everyone having their voices stolen.

Oz crouched beside her, frantic with worry. Something behind the tangled pair on the ground caught his attention, and his eyes widened. He quickly helped up the blonde girl who had run into Willow, and then scooped Willow up, knowing she wouldn't be able to walk.

"Run!" he mouthed to the blonde girl, the trio making their way away from the floating demons and the straightjacketed lackeys that were following them.

They raced out the door and down a flight of stairs, and slammed a door shut, annoyed that there was no lock. Oz gently lowered his girlfriend to the ground as he spotted a vending machine and ran to try and push it against the door. It barely moved.

Willow hopped towards a wall and slid down, looking at the vending machine and concentrating hard. Earlier that week she'd been wanting to float something larger than a pencil, and now seemed to be a moment that she needed to be able to do just that.

The blonde girl looked at the redhead and saw the frustrated look of concentration on her face. The vending machine was twitching slightly, but even with Willow's magic and Oz's strength, it wasn't budging. The blonde girl took a seat beside Willow and reached her hand out, squeezing softly.

Willow looked up at her in shock. She could feel the power from the other girl, and the calm strength that the blonde had. They both turned their attention and concentration to the vending machine, and watched as it flew from its spot against the wall, over to the door, and slammed it shut.

Oz looked across at the two girls, his eyebrows slightly raised. He quickly walked across to Willow and gently touched her ankle, trying to see how damaged it was. He mouthed a 'thank you' to Tara, and continued to gently touch Willow's foot, thankful that it wasn't broken.

Tara Maclay just sat back and watched with a small smile on her face. She could tell that the two people in front of her were desperately in love with each other, and it was a beautiful sight to behold. The gentle way that Oz was touching Willow and the way that Willow's eyes, though pained, always softened whenever she looked up at the boy.

Tara sighed and sat back, wishing that she had someone to love in the way that these two obviously loved each other.

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Across town, in a clock tower, Buffy grabbed a small wooden box and threw it against a wall, the box breaking into pieces. Strands of white silver clouds shot out of the remains of the box, flying out the window, one of the strands flying towards Buffy and forcing itself down her throat. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and screamed, watching in gross satisfaction as the heads of the Gentlemen exploded, and the bodies dropped to the ground in a heap.

She shouldered her crossbow and walked down the stairs of the clock tower, happily satisfied that Sunnydale had once again been saved.

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"Whoa," Oz whispered softly, feeling his voice lodge back in his throat.

Willow smiled happily. "Hey, you spoke."

The two kissed softly and Oz turned to look at the blonde girl.

"So…thanks for the save back there," Oz said, his hand stretched towards her.

Tara shook his hand nervously and smiled a little. "You're w-welcome. And…I'm sorry about…y'know – running into you."

Willow smiled and waved off the apology. "S'okay. It's not the worst injury I've had. Oh, and I'm Willow by the way. This is my boyfriend Oz."

"Tara," she replied softly.

Oz helped Willow to her feet and the trio made their way out of the small common area, Willow and Tara magically moving the vending machine so that it rested in its rightful place on the wall. Oz helped Willow up to her room, and offered to walk Tara back to her own dorm. Tara waved off the offer, seeing that Willow was still in a fair amount of pain from her twisted ankle. Oz was hesitant to leave Tara to walk alone, but Tara wouldn't budge from her answer.

The quiet blonde girl walked back towards her own dorm, still stunned by what she'd discovered. She'd been crossing campus on her way back from the library when she'd seen the Gentlemen approaching her. She'd run into the nearest building, and had pounded on the doors until someone had answered. She'd just been incredibly lucky that the person who'd answered had had magical talent.

She made a mental note to find out just what type of power Willow possessed. She could sense that Willow was powerful, though she couldn't tell how much power the redhead had.

She suddenly heard footsteps behind her, and she knew she should have let Oz walk her back to her dorm. She quickened her pace, not really wanting to get into another fight. The footsteps behind her gathered speed as well, and Tara knew that her fears weren't unfounded.

Someone stepped onto the path in front of her and she had to stop running or else bump into them. She swallowed fearfully, going through the spells she knew to see if she would be able to come out of this alive. She was assured by the fangs and ridges on the face of the man in front of her that he was a vampire, so she wasn't too worried about the wiccan pledge of harming none. Demons trying to kill her didn't count.

"_Inflamare!_" she yelled, her hand gesturing towards the vampire in front of her.

The vampire caught on fire, the flames engulfing him. She stepped back to avoid the heat, and someone clamped a hand around her mouth.

"Ooo, we've got ourselves a witch," a soft male voice said in her ear, his cool breath tickling her neck.

"Ooo, you've got yourselves a Slayer too," came a cheery voice from behind the second vampire. A stake suddenly penetrated the vampire's heart and he crumbled to dust, leaving the vampire who was holding Tara.

"Slayer!" the vampire rasped out, angered by the decrease in his cohorts.

Buffy rolled her eyes. She still wasn't sure why vampires felt the need to say her title whenever she showed up to a fight. It wasn't as though she was about to forget what she was.

The Slayer's eyes met Tara's fear-filled ones, and Buffy quickly remembered the gentle blonde wiccan from the week before. Whenever she'd seen Tara on campus, she'd purposely kept her distance, not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable. Whatever Tara's problem with Buffy was, the Slayer knew that for the next few minutes, Tara would have to work with her or end up losing her life.

"Don't move another inch, Slayer, or the witch gets it," the vampire threatened.

Tara didn't know what it was, but she felt oddly calm. Her eyes were locked with Buffy's, and the wiccan knew that there was no way that Buffy would let any harm come to her. The only problem now was to get away from the vampire so that Buffy could kill it.

Tara suddenly bit into the vampire's hand, causing the vampire to jerk away from her in pain, cradling his hand. Buffy used the moment to grab the vampire's jacket and haul him away from Tara and quickly stake him.

The two blonde girls looked at each other, neither really sure what to say. Buffy looked at the building they were in front of, surprised to see how close Tara had come to getting home safely.

"You should really get inside," Buffy said softly.

Tara nodded and felt her heart break at the thought of walking away from the girl who had saved her life twice now. She didn't want to walk away from her, but she knew that there was no way that Buffy would ever consider her for a friend, or for a potential lover if she ever found out the truth. Tara Maclay, like all the women in the Maclay family, was a demon. And there was nothing she could do about it.


	5. Coincidental Acquaintences

CHAPTER FIVE: COINCIDENTAL ACQUAINTANCES 

Willow walked out of the main cafeteria, a happy smile on her face as she headed towards her dorm room. Her afternoon was completely class free, and she was grateful for that small fact. Unfortunately, both Oz and Buffy would be in classes until at least three o'clock, and that meant that she'd have to spend at least the next hour alone.

"Willow, hi," a quiet voice said, startling her out of her afternoon giddiness.

Willow spun and grinned as she saw the gentle blonde girl that she'd met the night before.

"Tara, hey," she greeted cheerfully. "How are you? I mean, after last night and all."

"I'm okay," Tara replied honestly. She was still slightly shaken from the attacks that had happened the night before. "I w-was hoping to run into you though."

"You don't have any classes this afternoon?" Willow asked.

Tara shook her head and murmured that she didn't.

"That works nicely. Neither do I," Willow said. "Wanna head to the Pump?"

"The what?" Tara asked, completely confused.

"Oh, the Espresso Pump," Willow explained. "The coffee shop on Main Street."

Tara wasn't really used to casual invitations for coffee, but she wasn't about to turn down the offer. Especially not the offer of someone who had enormous talent for witchcraft.

"H-how's your ankle?" Tara asked, still feeling guilty about the injury.

"It's fine Tara, honest," Willow replied, smiling. "I wasn't kidding about having had worse injuries. Besides, Oz took good care of me."

Tara smiled at the mention of Willow's boyfriend. There was something so beautiful about the way that Willow and Oz interacted. As though the two were made for each other. It was rare and very special to see between two people who weren't even twenty-years-old yet.

"He seems really n-nice," Tara commented.

"He's the best!" Willow gushed. "He's in a band too! Plays guitar."

Tara laughed slightly, enjoying the enthusiasm coming from the redhead. It was completely endearing, and Tara knew that if she hadn't already been infatuated with a certain blonde Slayer, she would have developed a massive crush on the redheaded Wiccan. Of course, considering her family history, nothing could ever come of her attachment to the short blonde girl with hazel eyes.

"How long have y-you guys been together?"

"Uh…two years in February," Willow replied. "So…what about you? Any special guys in your life?"

Tara flushed bright red. That definitely wasn't a question she was used to being asked. Not just because she didn't have too many close friends, but also because, of the close friends she _did_ have, they wouldn't be asking about her love life with boys.

"Uh…no. No special…guy," Tara replied nervously.

For all of Willow's obliviousness and naiveté when it came to her own dating life, she was surprisingly perceptive when it came to other people and their own lives. After being a Scooby for over three years, she was very good at reading people, and she could tell from the blush on Tara's cheek, and the way she'd hesitated before saying 'guy', that Willow had asked the wrong question.

The redhead hesitated a moment before deciding to just bite the metaphorical bullet.

"Who is she?" Willow asked quietly, as though keeping her voice down would help to take the question back in case she was completely wrong.

Tara stopped short. It wasn't as though she was ashamed of who she was –nervous, shy, timid as a mouse, yes, but not ashamed-. She just hadn't expected Willow to pick up on the subtle note of hesitation. Obviously Willow was far more perceptive than Tara had thought.

"Or, I could be way off base," Willow said quickly.

"You're not," Tara replied, her voice soft and stutter free. She wasn't sure what it was about the gentle redhead, but she felt as though she could tell this girl absolutely anything, and not be judged for it.

Willow smiled, thankful that she hadn't been wrong, and also that Tara had felt that she could confide in her.

"So…what's she like?" Willow asked. "Are you dating or crushing?"

Tara grinned, unable to stop her lips from curling upwards.

"C-crushing," Tara admitted. "And…she's great, y'know. But…we can't…"

Willow's smile disappeared completely. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the gentle blonde girl. She seemed like a genuinely nice person who just needed some coaxing to come out of her shell.

"Is she straight?" Willow asked.

"No…well, maybe," Tara replied. "I'm not really too s-sure."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Me," Tara confessed. "F-f-family stuff."

"Your family doesn't know?" Willow asked.

"Mama d-did," Tara replied, feeling the pang of pain that always sprang up whenever she thought about or mentioned her mother. "My father though…it uh…it wouldn't be pretty if he ever, y'know, found out."

Willow nodded. She could only guess how hard it would be to try and come out to parents who wouldn't approve of the child's sexual orientation. Willow had enough problem getting her parents to approve of Oz, and he was completely –apart from the werewolf thing- normal.

"My parents are a little weird about me dating as well," Willow said. "Sometimes, anyway. When they notice that I'm not twelve anymore."

Tara gave a shy half-smile and self-consciously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I've never seen you around Sunnydale before," Willow commented.

"No, I, uh, grew up in North Carolina," Tara replied. "I was o-offered a scholarship to UC Sunnydale, so I took the first flight out that I could."

"Not many people would come to Sunnydale voluntarily," Willow said, chuckling slightly. "Most everyone wants to get out of here as fast as they can."

"It seems like an okay place, y'know. At least, during the day it does," Tara said softly.

"Sunnydale at night…definitely not a good place to be," Willow replied. "You uh…haven't been mugged by…gang-members on PCP have you?"

Tara looked slightly bewildered at the question. "Gang-members? Uh, no. Not…not gang-members."

Willow glanced covertly around the Espresso Pump, and saw that no one was paying them any attention.

"But you were attacked by something?" Willow asked.

Tara nodded, wondering whether her new friend would think she was crazy. But it sounded as though Willow had a fair idea of what went on around Sunnydale. Plus, Willow knew magic, which increased the odds of Willow not thinking that she was insane.

"Vampires," Tara whispered.

Willow nodded, having expected that answer. "Not that it's a bad thing or anything, but…how'd you get away?"

"Well, it w-wasn't so much about me getting away, as it was me being s-saved," Tara replied, a small smile coming to her face as she thought of the blonde haired angel had come to her rescue.

Willow couldn't help but notice the little smile that came to Tara's face when she spoke of being saved. It was the same smile that had come to her when Tara had been speaking of her crush. And Willow had a sneaking suspicion of who it was that had rescued her new friend.

"Uh…just out of curiousity, the girl you're crushing on…she wouldn't happen to be about…oh five foot two, blonde hair, hazel eyes…" Willow said.

Tara's jaw dropped slightly and she stared at Willow in shock. "How'd you know that?"

"Buffy Summers, right?" Willow asked.

"You know her?" Tara asked incredulously. She knew that this was a small town, but this just seemed insane.

"You could say that," Willow replied. "Y'know…she did mention that she'd met someone at that Wicca Group I sent her to."

"The r-recon mission?" Tara said with a grin.

Willow laughed a little and nodded. "I asked her to go for me. That was you she met that night."

Tara nodded. She ducked her head a little, remembering how badly she'd reacted that night when she'd discovered that Buffy was the Slayer. It still pained her to think about it.

Willow fell silent for a moment, contemplating this new information. Tara had a crush on Buffy. She couldn't really blame her new friend though. There was something incredibly charismatic about her best friend, and if Willow were prone to having those sorts of thoughts, she probably would have found herself half-smitten with Buffy. The only question that remained was whether or not the Slayer would be interested in the shy blonde witch.

And if Willow was honest with herself, she'd pondered Buffy's sexual preferences when Faith had arrived in Sunnydale. There had been an electric kind of chemistry between the two Slayers before it had all gone to hell in a hand basket, and she was almost fairly certain that Buffy wouldn't be against being with another woman.

"What?" Tara finally asked, seeing the speculative grin on Willow's face.

"Oh, just thinking…"

"About?" Tara asked worriedly.

"Ever heard that Jews make the most annoying matchmakers?" Willow asked with a grin.

Tara paled completely and she looked at Willow in complete shock. "You wouldn't."

Willow just smirked.


	6. Matchmaking

**CHAPTER SIX: MATCHMAKING**

Armed with the knowledge that her new friend Tara Maclay was crushing on Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg ran over all the subtly nudging hints she could direct at Buffy to guide her towards Tara.

Buffy hadn't said all that much about Tara, although when the Slayer had mentioned the other blonde girl, her voice had been tinged with a little sadness, which Willow wasn't sure what to think about.

So, when Willow finally caught up with her best friend, she took the opportunity to gauge her friend's interest.

"Guess who I ran into – literally- last night," Willow said happily.

Buffy couldn't work out who would have got her best friend that excited, unless it was Oz. Except Willow wouldn't have approached their conversation that way.

"Uh…Seth Green?" Buffy asked, knowing very well that the Wiccan harboured a crush on the famous actor.

"What! No! Be serious. I ran into Tara," Willow said.

"Tara? Really. Uh…h-how is she?" Buffy asked.

Willow couldn't help but smile. Buffy's reaction was very telling. Her best friend, Slayer of Evil Demons, did NOT stutter.

"Good. She's good. She mentioned that you kicked some vampire ass," Willow said. "Not in those words of course, but…you get the idea."

"Yeah, I uh…she seems to attract vamp attacks for some reason," Buffy said. "She uh…did she say anything else? About me, I mean?"

"Like what would she mention?" Willow asked curiously.

Buffy blushed slightly, and Willow mentally rubbed her hands together with glee.

"Well, it's just…I think I might have scared her," Buffy admitted.

Willow pulled up short, looking at her friend in shock. From what Tara had said, she was in no way scared of Buffy.

"Scared her?"

"Yeah. The whole Slayer thing," Buffy explained. "When I told her about my calling, she…well, jumped off the bed."

Willow's eyes went wide. "The bed!" Tara hadn't mentioned this at all!

"I haven't been able to get near her since," Buffy said sadly.

Willow tried processing this, wondering what she was missing. From what Tara had said earlier, the taller blonde Wiccan was completely smitten with the Slayer. But from Buffy's story, it sounded as though Tara was completely frightened of something.

"Maybe it's not what you're thinking," Willow offered.

Buffy shrugged and shook her head. "It seemed pretty clear. I mean, it's fair enough really. Chances are I'll be dead in a year or two, so-"

"Don't say that!" Willow yelled, horrified at the thought.

They fell silent, trying to shake off the gloom that had been cast by Buffy's pessimistic view of a Slayer's life.

Willow wondered if she should maybe give the Slayer a bigger nudge in Tara's direction, hoping that it wouldn't completely backfire.

"Well, from what Tara said this morning…she wouldn't mind talking to you again. Maybe you guys could work this out," Willow said.

Buffy sighed and put her hands in her pockets. "I don't think so Will. Every time she even sees me, she gets tense, and…well, the stuttering just gets worse. I don't want to scare her Will. And as much as I'd like to get to know her better, I'm not going to force her into anything."

And with that depressing thought, the Slayer hurried off to her next class, leaving a mystified Willow behind.

But of course, Willow wasn't about to give up.

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"Why does Buffy think you're scared of her?" Willow asked. Straight to the point.

Tara blanched. She hadn't really been expecting Willow to approach Buffy about the subject, and she wished that Willow hadn't. She didn't want to lose Willow as a friend either. Regardless of the fact that a lot of Willow's interest in Tara seemed to be the thought of fixing the two blondes up together, Tara still enjoyed the redhead's company.

"S-she said that?" Tara asked.

"Well, she mentioned that she thinks that you think that she's intimidating," Willow said. "Which is stupid, cos she wouldn't hurt a fly. U-unless it was a demonic fly. Then she would."

Tara winced. "W-what if the demonic fly wasn't a-actually evil?"

Willow pulled to a stop, wondering where that question had come from.

"Well…I mean, as long as the demonic fly wasn't hurting anyone, she wouldn't hurt it. We'd research it first. A-and if it wasn't hurting anyone, well, we probably wouldn't know it was demonic in the first place," Willow replied.

Tara still wasn't entirely sure what to think about that. The situation was hypothetical really, and probably a poor example.

"Is that what this is about?" Willow asked, thinking that she'd caught on. "The violence?"

Tara's heart had sped up at the first part of Willow's question, but calmed considerably at the second.

"N-no…well, y-yes maybe," Tara admitted.

"Cos it's not like Buffy just kills demons for the fun of it," Willow said. "If they're killing people, she'll stop them. And yeah, it's violent. Really violent sometimes, but that's not who she is."

"W-what if you came across a peaceful demon?" Tara asked. "One that wasn't hurting anyone? What then?"

"Funny you should mention that," Willow said, with a sheepish chuckle. "You remember Oz?"

Tara nodded. "Your guitar-playing boyfriend."

"Yup. He's a werewolf," Willow admitted.

Tara's eyes went wide. A werewolf! From what she'd seen of the short young man, he'd been nothing but loving and completely devoted to Willow. To imagine him transforming into a vicious killer every month was more than a little shocking.

"And…and that doesn't bother you?" Tara asked.

"Well, it's annoying," Willow admitted. "Three nights a month I don't get smoochies. But, we handle it. Oh, and Angel was a demon too. No killing…except when he went evil. But…if a demon doesn't offer violence, then neither do we."

Tara blinked several times, trying to adapt to this sudden flow of information.

Willow narrowed her eyes curiously. "What's this about anyway?"

Tara breathed in deeply. Better to get this over with now, she decided. Before anyone got too attached.

"It's a-about m-m-me," Tara said quietly. "I'm e-evil."


	7. Childish Fears

**CHAPTER SEVEN: CHILDISH FEARS**

Willow couldn't stop laughing. "Evil?" she managed to sputter out a few times between chuckles. She finally calmed down, placing her hand over her racing heart, waiting for it to calm a little before approaching the topic.

"Tara, you are possibly the least evil person I have ever met," Willow said, trying to explain her outburst of laughter.

Tara knew that she was blushing fiercely. She couldn't believe Willow's reaction. Instead of the fear, the loathing, the hatred that she'd been expecting, Willow had nearly wet herself with laughter.

"B-but, the magic…"

"Not a trait of a demon," Willow replied. "I've read so much about demons, and what they're capable of. Violence, painful gruesome deaths aplenty. Not a lot of magic. 99.2 of demons couldn't even float a pencil if they tried…not that they'd want to float a pencil. I mean, they might, really, who am I to say that a demon wouldn't want to float a pencil, but generally speaking, I wouldn't think they'd ever really need to. Not that anyone really needs to float a…"

Tara's eyes were wide.

"Rambling?" Willow asked. "Sorry. Oz usually stops me when I do that."

Tara couldn't help but smile.

"But, oh, I had a point. Somewhere. Oh! The magic. Tara, magic is used, for the most part, by humans. Some of them aren't so good, but Tara…your intentions are what determine that," Willow said. "Just because you can do magic, it doesn't make you evil. Or a demon."

Tara faltered a little. She desperately wanted to believe Willow, but eighteen years of being told that she was an evil demon were a little hard to erase.

"Is…is that what you think?" Willow asked. "That you're some kind of demon because of the magic?"

Tara shrugged and nodded self-consciously.

Willow reached across, laying a hand over Tara's, squeezing gently. She couldn't imagine trying to come to terms with the thought of being evil. No wonder Tara had been so frightened of Buffy!

"Y'know…I think I may have someone you'd like to meet," Willow said. "He knows a lot about demons, and well…he might be able to convince you a little better about this whole thing than I can."

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"You're father told you…" Rupert Giles trailed off, unable to voice the rest of his incredulous sentence. He couldn't fathom the thought of growing up in a household where you were taught that magic was a demonic trait, and needed to be suppressed.

With a shake of his head, the Watcher took a seat beside the gentle Wiccan. He noted the way that she ever so slightly flinched away from him, and he made certain not to make any sudden movements towards her.

"Tara, I can assure you, I have yet to come across a single demon that can manipulate magics," Giles said. "Vampires on the other hand, are more than able to. But, as you came through broad daylight to get here, I can safely say that you are not a vampire."

Tara couldn't believe this. She had to admit that Giles certainly sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Then again, that could have just been the accent.

But she wanted desperately to believe he was right. That would mean so many things. She could stop living in fear! She could…she could stop acting like such a freak in front of Buffy.

"You're c-certain?" Tara asked.

"Completely," Giles assured her. "If you'd like, I can find the relevant texts to show you. There are even simple tests that can be run to determine whether or not someone is demonic."

Tara licked her suddenly dry lips. "What kinds of t-tests?"

"Completely non-invasive I assure you," Giles replied. "In fact…if you'd like to settle this, I can guide you through one now."

Tara glanced at Willow, who smiled at her in support. The blonde Wiccan found herself nodding, wanting to know for sure if she was what she'd been taught to believe.

"Well, in that case, it's a very simple potion," Giles said, moving across the apartment to a trunk that carried a small supply of magical ingredients. He found the herb he was looking for and took a pinch of it back to the table.

He placed the herb in a glass and went into his kitchen to measure out a half-cup of water. He returned to the living room and mixed the water and the herb until it had dissolved, leaving nothing but clear liquid once more.

"Alright…it's ready. All we need is a single drop of fluid from you Tara," Giles explained. "Blood or saliva will work."

Tara breathed in deeply. She wanted to know what was about to happen before she added anything to the mixture.

"What will it d-do?"

"Oh…of course, how thoughtless," Giles muttered. "This concoction will change colours for different types of people. For example, any magic practitioner will make the water turn pink. A demon will turn it black. A Slayer would turn it gold. A regular human will have no effect on the water at all."

Tara nodded and shifted forward in her seat. She licked her pinkie finger, and hovered her hand above the glass. At the last moment, she closed her eyes as she plunged her finger into the glass.

There was no sound from either Willow or Giles.

"Tell me," she said quietly.

"See for yourself," Willow whispered, her voice quiet, but not tinged with fear.

Tara opened her eyes and chanced a look at the glass. The water was swirling a beautiful light pink. Tara breathed a sigh of relief and blinked back tears. She swallowed the lump of emotion that had risen in her throat, unable to believe that it had truly been as simple as that.

She took her finger out of the water and watched as the liquid turned clear once more. And still the doubt remained.

Willow noticed that her friend still wasn't a hundred percent convinced. She licked her own finger and put it into the glass, watching as the water turned a lighter shade of pink than Tara's had.

"See," Willow said quietly. "Not a demon."

"I'm not a demon," Tara whispered, the sentence she had told herself over and over for years, but had never truly believed.

She looked up, her confidence completely bolstered by the thought that she was just like everyone else. Except that she could use magic. But that didn't matter! She wasn't a demon!

Willow couldn't help but smile at the look on her friends face.

"You maybe want to go find Buffy?" Willow asked slyly.

Tara could only grin.


	8. Beautiful Friendship

**CHAPTER EIGHT: BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP**

It was amazing really, Tara thought. Her complete self-confidence that had had her nearly sprinting across Sunnydale to find the Slayer was suddenly failing her. She rubbed her palms on her skirt, trying to find the courage to knock on the door to Buffy's dorm. Maybe Willow should have come with her after all.

Tara hesitated again, wondering if she could do this. She'd acted like such a fool. If she'd just been honest about all this in the first place, it would never have been this bad.

"Just knock Maclay," Tara chastised herself. "It won't kill you."

Before she could chicken out, she lifted her hand to the door and knocked twice. Well, it was more of a gentle rap really, and barely audible if she was honest with herself.

She swallowed hard. Maybe Buffy wasn't in. That must be it, Tara decided after a two second delay. She should go. She should –

The door opened, and Tara froze.

"Tara," Buffy said, an instant smile crossing her lips. "Hi."

"H-hi," Tara replied.

"Uh…what can I do for you?" Buffy asked.

"I was…I was wondering if maybe…I mean, if you wanted to-"

"I'd love to," Buffy blurted.

Tara's eyes widened. Not quiet what she'd been expecting. Nor was the subtle blush that was making its way up Buffy's neck, and tinging the tips of Buffy's ears.

"You would?"

"Absolutely," Buffy replied. She wasn't sure what she was agreeing to, really, but if it was anything to do with Tara, then she was in.

She couldn't really put her finger on what exactly it was about Tara that had her so completely fascinated. She wasn't anything like the last woman that Buffy had been attracted to. In fact, Tara was basically the polar opposite. The Wiccan was shy and sweet where Faith had been loud and brash. And Tara was completely unaware of her own innate beauty, whereas the dark Slayer had oozed with sex appeal and self-confidence.

"G-great," Tara replied, grinning madly.

"Oh, did you want to…" Buffy trailed off, indicating for Tara to come inside, but not giving an explicit verbal invitation.

Tara stepped past the Slayer and into the room, taking in both sides of the room that Buffy shared with Willow.

"I'm glad you stopped by," Buffy said. "I…I've been meaning to talk to you."

"You have?"

Buffy nodded. "I just wanted to clear the air between us," Buffy said. "I'm not really sure what happened the other night, but I don't want you thinking that I'm some psycho killer or anything. I know that some of the books about Slayers aren't exactly kind."

"N-no," Tara said. "I just…I…" She was stuck for words. And nervous. Never a good combination. "I'm not a demon."

Buffy's eyes widened. "I know that."

Tara froze, unable to believe she'd just blurted that out. And then there was Buffy's reaction to deal with.

"You…you know that?" Tara asked.

Buffy nodded. "I can sense demon's. It's a thing. You're definitely not a demon."

Tara blew out a sigh of annoyance. She was starting to find that keeping her fears to herself had really blown back in her face. If she'd been honest with Buffy the first time they'd met, she'd have cleared this up once more.

Buffy suddenly caught on to why Tara had reacted the way she had on their first meeting.

"You thought you were a demon," Buffy said. She waited for Tara's eyes to widen in affirmation. "That's why you seemed so uh…terrified of me."

Tara nodded. "I'm s-sorry about that."

"No, if anyone should apologise, it's probably me," Buffy said. "I…I would never hurt you Tara. Never. I uh…this will sound really stupid, but…I really don't like violence. I mean, not in dealing with everyday stuff. Show me an evil demon, I can be violent, but…I don't relish the killing."

The blonde Wiccan took in the admission, breathing even better at the thought. She really needed to kick herself when she got the chance.

The two blondes fell silent for a moment, each of them contemplating the bizarre turn of events. It made a lot more sense in how they'd reacted so skittishly towards each other.

After several more moments, Buffy couldn't stand the silence any longer. She took a step towards Tara and without much further thought, they settled into a warm hug, each of them relaxing into the others arms, allowing the stresses of the last few days to dissipate completely.

Buffy reluctantly pulled back, but took both of Tara's hands in hers.

"Can I take you to dinner?" she asked.

Tara's eyes widened. They'd had a stumbling non-conversation at the door about the possibility of…well, something, but Tara wasn't too sure what she'd been expecting.

"Like a d-date?" Tara asked.

Buffy smiled and ran a thumb over Tara's palm, making the taller blonde shiver at the miniscule contact.

"Yeah, like a date," Buffy replied.

"Y-yes," Tara managed to get out. She was nervous, not stupid!

The Slayer grinned widely, grateful that she hadn't been turned down. She felt a measure of calm settling inside herself and wondered at the feeling. She hadn't felt such calmness for a long time, and she knew that it was Tara that was causing it.

And just because she and Tara had had a few misunderstandings, it didn't mean that they couldn't move on from there. Plus, Buffy had a feeling that the getting-to-know-you period was going to be all kinds of fun.

Breaking the news to Xander, though, that was going to be priceless.

END

So, there you have it, the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, and half a Mastercard advertisement.

Many thanks for all your reviews, I always love feedback! Hope you enjoyed.

DKG


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